In The Name Of Science
by SouthPawRacer
Summary: The night before her herd is set to leave the Land of Mists, Ali almost falls victim to a horrible scientific program as she is kidnapped and sent to the year 2049. What unfolds will undoubtedly be the most dangerous adventure of her life. Pre-LBT 4
1. Taken

G'day all... I've written tons of fanfics, but this is the first one I've uploaded anywhere. You know the drill - all the legal yada-yada-yada, "I own nothing except my own characters", blah-blah-blah... it's a Fan Fiction. It's really not necessary. :P

Anyways, hope you enjoy it, and expect new chapters. I wouldn't leave the story hanging after the events of this first instalment. Review if you feel like it, and have a good day...

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**In The Name Of Science**

**Chapter 1: "Taken"**

-----

The swamps were growing quieter, it being rather late in the afternoon. Insects danced lazily through the air and tree branches swayed as the murky water reflected a bright orange glow in the fading light.

A certain type of water weed was growing where the mass of peaty water met solid land. The soft, delicate stalks rising from the shallow swamp-water were greener than the healthiest moss, and seemed juicier than a ripe fruit. It almost looked as if the plant was inviting any passing dinosaur to come over and make a meal of it.

One young longneck gladly accepted that invite.

Almost immediately, petite jaws, with blunt, rounded teeth, clamped down on a group of stalks and hungrily tore them out of the water. As the pretty little dinosaur chewed on the plant, she let the sweet juices and sap entertain her tastebuds. She stared down nostalgically at the remainder of the green food growing in front of her. These had been her favourite food ever since she had hatched; a special treat, for desserts or snacks, every single day of her life.

Until now.

She swallowed her mouthful of plant, the smile fading from her face. As much as she didn't want it to, life was changing. Or more to the point, the climate. Over the past few months, rains, mists and floods had ravaged the area her herd lived in. It had become almost a daily struggle to stay dry and safe. Eventually, the herd elders had decided that their only option was to leave - tomorrow would be the day that they left their home, and the young longneck's treats.

She looked to they sky. Today was actually a good day - despite the clouds, the setting bright circle was casting its light over the land for the first time in days. But she knew, just like the rest of the herd, that at night the mists would set in. Then was time that hapless wanderers would be ambushed in the dark, alone, never to be seen alive again.

She hung her head and sighed. The choice between safety or tasty treats was an easy one, but the sweet weeds held too many memories for her to let them go easily. But she had realised not too long ago that, as hard as it was, letting hem go was the only thing she could do.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a familiar voice calling to her.

"Ali? Ali, where are you?"

Her mother.

Ali set off towards the voice at a slight canter. After a moment or two, she came to the clearing where the herd was spending the night before they left.

"Here I am, Mama!" she called when she noticed an adult longneck with a worried look on her face.

The worry quickly turned to relief when the mother found her daughter.

"Oh, Ali!" she said. "What were you doing, where were you? I was so worried about you!"

"It's okay, Mama," Ali giggled. "I was just having a snack."

Ali's mother siged. "Little One, you know that it's getting dark. You know that it's dangerous to go out alone..."

The young one opened her mouth to protest, but her mother continued: "No matter how long you're gone, there's always a risk that I'll lose you." She lowered her head down to ground level, and nuzzled her daughter. "And I don't want that to happen. Especially since we're going to leave tomorrow. I would never forgive myself."

Ali initially returned the nuzzle, but stared sadly at the ground when her mother broke the embrace and lifted her head again.

"What's the matter, Ali?" the parent asked, concerned.

Ali gazed up at her mother, her face a picture of sorrow.

"I... I don't want to leave, Mama," she confessed.

The adult stared down sympathetically at the little longneck.

"Come with me, my dear," she said softly, and began moving towards the nesting area. Ali obeyed.

They walked together towards the clearing the herd had called home. Around them, other members of the herd were laying down to rest for the journey the day after. Upon getting there, Ali sat down in the small indentation in the ground that had served as her bed for as long as she could remember.

"We know full well that we can't stay," her mother continued. "For the sake of survival, we need to move somewhere safer."

"I know all that, Mama," Ali replied. "It's just... It's really hard to forget all the good times I've had here. Before the mists came..."

The grown-up tried to smile. "It's hard, I know. But remember, you and the other young ones are the future of this herd. We adults can't disregard the safety of those who are to succeed us." She bent down again as her daughter curled up in the nest for the night. "And who knows?" she whispered into the young one's ear. "Maybe, if things change around here, one day we could come back."

Ali stared up at her mother. "Do you really think so?" she asked hopefully.

The response was a warm smile. "There's always hope. Never forget that." The elder longneck laid down on the ground in preparation for her own rest. "For now though, we need to say goobye."

Ali glanced up at the sky again. The bright circle had disappeared over the horizon, and darkness was creeping across the expanse of grey above them.

"Goodnight, Mama," she said quietly before resting her head on the ground and closing here eyes.

"Goodnight, little one," her mother responded, before she too closed her eyes.

Roughly an hour later, the night had fallen and the whole herd of longnecks was asleep.

Except for one.

_________

Despite what her mother had told her earlier, Ali's mind was still in conflict. She tossed and turned restlessly as she switched between mindsets. Part of her wanted to stay, the other part was telling her to leave and forget all of the wonderful memories of growing up at home. It was almost as if there was a vine tying her to the place, and it was her choice whether to bite through that vine or not.

It was doing the young longneck's head in, and she couldn't sleep.

Eventually, she opened her eyes in frustration, having had enough. She decided to get up and spent just a little bit more time near the plants she felt so attached to. It had the potential to be dangerous, as her mother would say, but the location wasn't far from the nesting area. Maybe going there would calm her down a bit.

With a frown on her face, Ali rose and made her way to the swamp's edge. The night was still clear - the mists hadn't formed yet - but surely there was no harm in making a short trip before they came?

The frown turned into a contented smile when she spied the sweet water weeds growing at the shore. Crouching at the water's edge, the young longneck filled her lungs and nostrils with the scent of the familiar plants. The smell was fresh and crisp; just the way they had always been.

Ali closed her eyes and played through her mind all of the experiences and fun times she had had during her time here. Playing near the swamps, splashing in the water, running through the forests, sitting down later to chew on her favourite plant... all memories seemed as clear as if she was still there.

She would have stayed there all night, getting herself lost in reminders of years gone by, if it weren't for her opening her eyes and barely being able to see a few feet in front of her. Ali quietly gasped in horror, looking around to see nothing but grey around her.

The mists had moved in.

She inwardly cursed herself for staying out too long. How could she have forgotten? This was exactly what her mother had warned her about so many times... and it had happened.

_I'll have to retrace my steps now..._ she thought, and stood up straight. The longneck turned around.

_But which way did I come...?_

She continued looking around, confused and slightly disoriented. Eventually, she hung her head and accepted that straight ahead was as good a way as any.

Ali began plodding along to where she thought the nesting area was. The eerie silence and the dull, grey fog closing in around her was enough to set her heart rate soaring. She almost jumped out of her skin when there came rustling from a nearby group of bushes, almost directly to her right.

Her eyes darted to the source of the sound, but she couldn't see for all the mist. Again, she scanned the area, still seeing nothing. Maybe... maybe it was a group of those little furry creatures? It had to be.

She chanced a guess. "...Who's out there?" She called out softly.

No answer.

Ali tried taking a few more steps forward. She froze as she heard more rustling, and then padding footsteps somewhere in front of her.

"Is... is that you, Mama?" She asked as she tried looking around again. "...I'm sorry that I wandered off... please... tell me where you are?"

Silence. It pressed down on her, an overwhelming feeling of dread. It seemed to last forever. Until...

_Click._

Ali was becoming frantic. "Mama? Mama?!"

_Hiss..._

"Mama-"

_...Thot._

She felt a sharp, pricking pain at the base of her neck. Flinching, she looked down to the source of the discomfort.

Jabbing into her scaly skin was a thin, finned needle.

Ali barely had time to widen her eyes in horror before her vision started to blur at the edges. She could do nothing but whimper as her legs collapsed from underneath her and she fell to the ground. Her sense of reality was disappearing.

_What was happening?_

_Who was doing this to her?_

_...Why...?_

All thoughts dissolved into nothingness as everything went black.

_________

Jennings watched solemnly as the dinosaur collapsed unconscious. Taking one last look around to make sure he hadn't woken any other creatures, he stood and began walking over to where the small sauropod lay.

Everything had gone to plan. He was able to get a good hiding spot, he had located the dinosaur without it seeing him - thank God for heat vision - and now he would be able to warp it back to the scientific facility.

Having reached the reptile, he placed his tranquiliser pistol back in its holster. From a separate compartment on his suit, Jennings produced a small metal disc, from the back of which he pulled a layer of plastic to reveal a further layer of sticky adhesive.

He sighed silently as he stuck the disc onto the dinosaur's skin. The mission was a success, just like every other one... but it still felt terrible.

Jennings had loved dinosaurs since he was a kid. Fascinated by them, he had book after book after DVD after whatever item of information on them when he was younger. He had always wanted to see how they really lived and behaved, so when Time Travel technology was discovered in 2040, he had been one of the first to put his hand up for travelling to the primeval era to study the long-gone reptiles.

Unfortunately, the Government's idea of studying the dinosaurs was finding one, shooting it, and bringing it back for autopsy. Due to his solid, athletic build, Jennings had been selected as a hunter - against his will.

Jennings scowled under his helmet visor. It was truly thoughtful of the powers-that-be to want to learn more of these creatures by tranq'ing them, killing them and cutting them open. They came up with all sorts of excuses for not bothering to send research teams out instead of hunters - inefficiency, waste of resources and money, time constraints... but it all sounded the same to Jennings. The hunt method was cheaper - and for the researchers, the less grant money spent, the better. They just didn't care.

The scowl turned to an expression of pity and sadness when he turned to look at the young dinosaur's face. Despite the trauma it had just been through, the little creature looked so peaceful. Eyes closed, jaw slack... like it was sleeping. When he had pulled that trigger, he had felt remorse well up within himself. Doing this sort of thing hurt him to the core. It had been a mistake to sign up for this job. But still, it was what it was - a job. And a Government one at that too... Once you became involved, there was no going back. He couldn't just walk away from it.

He extended a hand and gently stroked the little dinosaur's head.

"I'm sorry... Really, I am... " He softly whispered to the creature, though he knew it could not hear him.

After a sombre moment or two, he withdrew the hand and took out a communicator. This recent marvel connected him to 2049 AD through technology only the world's greatest scientists could understand the basics of.

"Thomas Jennings reporting to Mission Control. Do you read me?" He spoke into the communicator.

"Affirmative," came the response. "What's your status?"

Jennings looked the dinosaur over before replying. "I've got a dino down. Juvenile Apatosaurus... looks to be female, judging from the markings. Sedated and ready for transport back to HQ. Are you ready to recieve?"

"Affirmative again," the man on the other end replied. "Send 'er in."

The channel was sealed off.

The reluctant hunter stared blankly at the communicator for what seemed like ages, before blinking and pocketing the device. In doing so, he pulled out yet another device, with two buttons situated on the front. He pointed its antenna at the disc he had planted on his 'catch', and pressed one of the buttons. Almost immediately, the disc glowed a pale blue.

Seeing that the teleporter was ready for use, Jennings tapped the other button with his thumb.

He watched, a hint of sorrow on his chiseled features, as the sedated dinosaur was surrounded and consumed by a glowing vortex of energy, which then thinned out and disappeared, taking the creature with it. Nothing was left behind except an impression in the moist earth.

Jennings experienced yet another twinge of regret, but shook his head and began preparing himself for the journey back.

He pointed the teleportation device at himself, and pressed the first button. Another disc, attached to the chest of his suit, glowed the same pale blue as the one before it. A tap of the second button again, and he quickly placed the device back in the compartment he had got it from.

Jennings stood up straight as another vortex materialised and closed in around him.

He was heading home.

_________

_Rhys G. [SouthPawRacer]_

_July/August 2009_


	2. Discovery

Hello, me again. It's taken a while, but I've finally got ch. 2 typed up. Lemme take this opportunity to reply to a review:

Caustizer: Those are excellent ideas, definitely. Unfortunately, I can't really use them. My habit with fan fics is to work out the story first, write it down on paper and then type it up on the computer. Besides, I can say with confidence that this story's unique enough among the other time travel stories on here - read on and you will find a few twists and turns... Anyways, again, those are great ideas, and I encourage you to use one of them in a story of your own (I can tell from your writings that they'd be pretty good). ;)

Anyhoo, here is In The Name Of Science chapter 2. Just a small note to anyone who may find a part later in this chapter confusing: It describes the same scene from Ali's POV, and then Jennings'.

Enjoy... And PLEASE review. I want your opinions, people!!

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**In The Name Of Science**

**Chapter 2: "Discovery"**

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"Prime specimen you've got here, Jennings," Professor Warnsteiner said, almost hungrily, as he stepped into the clinically white chamber. "Perfect for our first plant-eating subject."

The target of Warnsteiner's observations, the young sauropod that Jennings had captured, was laid out on a stainless-steel bench in the centre of the room, unconscious but still breathing. Jennings, now without his helmet, was standing in a room almost separate from the main chamber, watching proceedings through a large glass window. Through it, he could see the entire experiment chamber: The bench, the dinosaur, and a desk next to them that had the Professor's instruments laid out on it - various surgical tools in neat rows, along with two pairs of white rubber gloves and a syringe filled with what was obviously some sort of poison.

As Warnsteiner spoke, Jennings' eyes narrowed with contempt.

"No problem, _Dexter Morgan_," he muttered sarcastically into the microphone connecting the two rooms.

Through the glass, Warnsteiner shot him a look that could freeze fire. Jennings appeared unaffected. Warnsteiner was head dissectionist at the facility, which meant he carried out most of the procedures. Jennings knew full well that the Professor relished the process of an 'experiment', digging his scalpel into a dead dinosaur's flesh. He approached every autopsy session like a butcher. It made Jennings sick to the stomach - add to that the fact that Warnsteiner was the most unpleasant employee at the facility, and the stage was set.

"I'll ignore that remark," the scientist curtly replied, his pointed features contorted into a sneer. He turned to the desk, muttering to himself. He turned to the desk and took silent inventory of the equipment. Upon seeing the second pair of gloves, he huffed angrily.

"Where is Doctor Hartley?" Warnsteiner demanded. "He was supposed to be here waiting for me... the procrastinating idiot."

A nervous voice echoed down the corridor outside. "Er, I'm here, Professor...!"

Jennings turned to see his friend, Daniel Hartley, emerge from the door leading from the corridor outside. The portly, bespectacled, well-spoken little man had joined the program for the same reason as Jennings himself - the opportunity to study the long-extinct dinosaurs. Hartley, too, had realised too late that not all was as it seemed, and had found himself stuck in a job he vehemently opposed. What made it worse for Hartley was the fact that he was scientifically qualified - hence his being referred to as Doctor - and so had to endure "helping" Warnsteiner with the terrible dissections. Jennings and Hartley shared the belief that, while their work was well-paid and secure, it was wrong. Neither were looking forward to today's experiment.

Jennings acknowledged his friend's prescence with a polite nod. Hartley returned the silent greeting, and began speaking to Jennings under his breath when he came close.

"Well, this should be interesting," Hartley said, "...At least for Warnsteiner."

Jennings nodded ruefully in agreement. "Mm-hm."

As Warnsteiner had noted, this was the first herbivore case to be brought in. Up until now, the only dinosaurs the facility had "studied" were theropods - the meat-eating dinosaurs. So far the program had turned up no surprises; the physiology of the subjects was almost exactly as predicted. Apart from the position of internal organs, it wasn't far from the original proposals before hard evidence came in.

But with hebivorous species, there still remained many questions to be answered - why the nostrils of sauropods were arranged so high on the head, why Parasaurolophus had a boomerang-shaped crest, whether plant-eaters really swallowed stones to aid in digestion - Warnsteiner was going to have field day after field day.

"Listen," Hartley whispered out of the microphone's range. "I thought you hated this sort of thing. Normally you're leaving before the procedure even starts. Why are you still here?"

Jennings was absent-mindedly staring out at the small Apatosaurus on the bench. He blinked and shook his head slightly before answering.

"...Yeah. I suppose you're right..." he murmured. "I'd better go."

"Hartley!" An aggravated voice rang out. "There's no time for silly private conversations. Get in here now!"

Jennings' friend sighed in resignation. "That's my cue." He walked over to the chamber door and pressed a button, watching as the door slid open to reveal the entrance to the chamber.

"Strange," Jennings suddenly remarked.

Hartley stopped and looked back at him. "What is?"

Jennings' eyebrows were creased, as if he had remembered something. "That dinosaur..." he replied. "When I tranq'ed it. I didn't really think about it at the time, but - I dunno. Might have been hearing things, but it was like it was speaking... calling for its mother... or something like that."

Hartley glanced through the door, then back to Jennings. "I would suggest you get some rest. This job seems to be doing your head in."

"Hartley!"

Jennings stared at the floor. "I'd better leave you to it."

"Okay," said his friend. "Now go on, get out of here."

With that, the door sliding shut behind him, Hartley stepped into the chamber.

_________

The beating of her own heart was loud and muffled. She could feel it pounding through her head, echoing and bouncing off the inside of her skull.

_Ba-boom._

_Ba-boom._

_Ba-boom._

With each beat, a blurred source of light grew steadily brighter and sharper. Her surroundings were coming into focus.

_Ba-boom._

_Ba-boom._

_Ba-boom._

A white chamber, clean and spacious. She was lying on something cold and smooth. And she could hear voices fading in, becoming clearer by the second.

"...Alright Hartley, let's get this thing cut open. Make yourself useful and activate the recorder.

A sigh in response. "Yes, Professor."

She chanced opening her eyes a smidgeon. It was still slightly blurred, but she could just make it out: in front of her was a raised platform, with many sharp, shiny things laid out on it. They didn't look too inviting.

The first voice spoke again. "I don't see the point of sedating the subjects before bringing them here. The rule of not disturbing other creatures is daft."

"Sir," the second voice interjected. "You do realise that the hunters cannot take any risks. Having creatures noticing them could have dire effects for the space-time continuum."

"Oh, what is a bullet to the head when an unnecessary chunk of the procedure is taken out? ...I wouldn't have to go through the tedious fuss of having to kill them myself, at any rate," Voice One complained as he moved in front her, his back turned.

The figure picked something up from the table, and seemed to give it a few taps on the side.

"Well, the poison's in order. Start the recording."

She heard a strange beeping sound as the owner of the second voice pressed an unseen button, and started speaking again - this time, in a constructed and orderly manner, as if he were repeating it from memory.

"Delta Point Scientific Research Facility, United States Government-authorised scientific autopsy number zero-one-nine-four. Operating staff are Professor M. Warnsteiner and Doctor D. Hartley," the voice spoke.

Ali, now fully awake, could hear all that was going on. She was afraid of where the sticky situation she had found herself in was going, not least because she didn't know what these strange creatures would do to her; yet, she stayed perfectly still on the table she was lying on. She listened as well as she could as Voice Two continued.

"The date of recording is June 26, Twenty-Fourty-Nine. This autopsy is being audio-recorded for archival purposes, and is the classified property of the Government of the United States of America. If you do not have a US Government permit to listen to this recording, you are advised to stop the data tape now, or face criminal charges."

A pause.

"Experiment zero-one-nine-four has commenced."

Ali could see the figure in front of her - Voice One - turn around to face her. Just in time, she shut her eyes, feigning unconciousness. She had caught a glimpse of a needle-like utensil in the figure's hand. Something told her that it wasn't any tree-cone needle.

Keeping her eyes shut tight and not moving an inch, she frantically went over questions in her head. What was an autopsy? Was it what these creatures would do to her? ... Was she willing to find out?

At that point, she could have done one of two things. One, she could take a huge risk by opening her eyes and making herself known to the cretures. That could get her into more trouble than she was already in.

But then, she would be taking an even bigger risk by taking the second option of waiting it out, to see what the creatures would do. That was just as, if not more, dangerous than the first option. What direction could she take?

Ali could have debated with herself forever and a day - were it not for time running out rather quickly. Not to mention the next thing Voice Two said, which spurred her to make a decision once and for all.

"Warnsteiner is administering the poison, to euthanise the experiment subject."

Ali did the only thing she could do. Her eyes and mouth opened wide, and she let out the loudest, most piercing scream of her life.

_________

Jennings, from behind the screen, watched as Hartley read out the usual preliminary introductions, recording the experiment for the archives. It was the same every time. The droning on about how offenders would be prosecuted if the classified information was leaked, the experiment beginning... and he would turn away and leave.

He would turn away from another j_ob well done_. He would turn away from another successful mission. And he would turn away from another chance to so something for his stricken catch.

He wanted more than anything to be able to help the dinosaur. He wanted to break the glass before him, charge into the room, wrest Warnsteiner away and release the poor creature from modern science's vice-like grip.

The hunter switched off the mic and pressed a gloved hand to the window.

_Yeah, you want to_, he told himself. _But would you? Could you?_

Jennings closed his eyes and let his arm fall limp by his side. _No. You wouldn't. You couldn't. You never will._

His eyes opened, staring folornly at the still form of the baby Apatosaurus.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered. "If there was anything I could do for you, I'd do it. But I can't. I won't be able to. Just like every other time..."

He trailed off, staring into space again. Hartley was right. He needed a rest from it all. That dinoaur couldn't have been speaking... after all, everyone knew that they couldn't.

His eyebrows creased. ...Could they?

After a moment, he shook himself for the third time that day, and purposefully turned to the exit. _Take a break, take a break._ He walked out into the corridor just as Hartley had finished the legal readings.

"Experiment zero-one-nine-four has commenced.." he heard from the chamber.

Above the clomping sound of his boots, he could just hear the muffled voice of his colleague and friend reading out the fatal words:

"Warnsteiner is administering the poison, to euthanise the experiment subject."

All was quiet for a second or two...

And then, a loud, piercing, high-pitched sound that stopped Jennings in his tracks.

He froze, almost on the spot. It had come from the chamber - it wasn't an alarm or a smoke detector... not just any high note, but a scream. A female scream.

Jennings whirled around. _But the only thing in there that's female is..._

_________

He rushed full-bore back into the viewing room, nearly slamming into the glass he had been looking through moments before. He pressed his face to the glass, to view the dinosaur - now fully awake - struggling to be free, as a surprised Warnsteiner tried to hold her down on the bench.

"Damn it!" the Professor exclaimed. "The sedative's worn off!"

Jennings, from behind the glass, and Hartley, standing shocked in the corner, watched on as the small Apatosaurus grew increasingly agitated.

Eventually, her muscular tail swung upwards and dealt Warnsteiner a blow to the side of his head. It didn't cause any damage, but it was enough for him to let go of her.

The sauropod rolled off the bench, scrambled to her feet and shakily backed away from the two scientists in the chamber.

"No... wait!" she pleaded, panting from the struggle. "Stop... who are you? What are you doing...?"

Jennings, Hartley and Warnsteiner stood stock still and could do nothing more than gawk at the prehistoric reptile in their midst.

There was a shocked silence as the two parties stared at each other - the hunter and scientists, their mouths hanging open; and the captive dinosaur, distressed, confused and upset, her view switching constantly between the two white-coated strangers she could see.

After an age and a half, Hartley broke the silence.

"Sweet God," he murmured. "It talks."

* * *

_Rhys G. [SouthPawRacer]_

_August/September 2009_


	3. Stockholm Syndrome: Part One

Woohoo, I finally found the time to get this bloody thing done. Thanks all for your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter...

* * *

**In The Name Of Science**

**Chapter 3: "Stockholm Syndrome"**

**Part 1**

-----

It had been roughly a day since the lab incident. The scientific community was reeling from what was said to be the greatest scientific discovery of human history; that, contrary to belief, dinosaurs were sentient beings capable of intelligent thinking and coherent speech. They were similar to humanity in ways that no-one could have predicted.

Yet Jennings, despite knowing that he had almost single-handedly altered man's opinions and views of the prehistoric reptiles, didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Quite the opposite, in fact - rather than treating his catch with awe and suspicion, like his lab-coated colleagues, he eagerly wanted to know more about her.

Much to the detriment of his friend, Hartley.

It was lunchtime. The lean, tall hunter and the short, rotund doctor were seated at a small table in Delta Point's cafeteria. Scientists, assistants, cleaners and hunters alike were seated at separate tables all around them, discussing the amazing specimen that had changed the face of educated thinking. The large number of voices, running into each other to create a loud buzz - combined with the clatter of cutlery and dishes - provided the perfect environment for the two friends to have a conversation of their own, though it bordered on an argument.

"Dan, I'm not playing games anymore," Jennings pressed. "I need your lab pass."

"Absolutely not!" Hartley replied through a mouthful of Carbonara. "I don't know why you keep pressuring me."

"I just want to talk to her, that's all," Jennings countered.

"'That's all?!'" Hartley exclaimed irately. "Do you have any idea of the risk you'd be taking?"

"All I want to do is apologise to her for what I've done. She's been hurt. She's been violated."

Hartley rolled his eyes, taking a kerchief and wiping his mouth. "Tom... She's a talking dinosaur!"

Jennings fixed his eyes on Hartley in annoyance. Just after the discovery, Special Ops had been called in and the dinosaur had been quarantined until further research could be done on her. Needless to say, she hadn't enjoyed being tranquilised again and carted off to a lone, sterile chamber - just as much as Jennings hadn't enjoyed watching it happen. He couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible as he had stood back to let Special Ops through with the prized specimen.

Through the night, he had felt an irrepressible urge to put things right. Now that his catch was seen to have sentience, he couldn't just brush it off like he had with all other specimens. He had to get into the quarantine chamber and see her.

Problem was, one needed a designated lab pass to do so. Jennings, being a hunter, did not have one, nor the means to obtain it.

But Hartley did.

Jennings smirked slightly. "Okay then... please?"

Hartley stared at him from behind thick-rimmed glasses. "God forbid... if you are caught on your own, with my lab pass, the Administrator will have our heads - mine especially!" He placed the now scrunched-up kerchief and his cutlery onto his plate as he continued. "Only I can use my lab pass to access the laboratories. The only way for you to use it legally is if you have a supervisor-"

"Well," Jennings interjected, leaning forward, "I've got one sitting in front of me. You're always such a stickler for regulations... you won't be breaking any rules."

Hartley opened his mouth to retaliate, but blinked as he realised what had been said. He thought better of it and sighed.

"I suppose you're right," he muttered. "When do you want to visit her?"

In response, Jennings simply stood up. Hartley creased his eyebrows.

"Now?"

Jennings shrugged. "It's as good a time as any." With that, he began walking towards the cafeteria's exit.

Hartley stared after him for a second or two. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, then he took a doggy bag Jennings had left on the table. Picking up his still-untouched slice of apple pie, he then placed it inside the bag and wrapped the opening closed.

Satisfied that his interrupted dessert was safe for the time being, Hartley took the bag and set about catching up to his friend.

---

Soon after, the two were walking down a corridor in the quarantine labs sector. There were rows of doors on either side of the clean, white passage - mostly offices and archiving rooms - but what Jennings and Hartley had trained their sights on was an equally clean and white door at the very end - the room in which the dinosaur was being kept.

As they walked, Hartley noticed that Jennings was becoming rather fidgety. He was repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists and biting his lip. This was enough of a sign to anyone that he was becoming nervous.

Still, Hartley engaged in conversation with him.

"What seems to be the matter Tom?" He asked. "I was under the impression that you wanted to see this dinosaur."

"I do, I do," Jennings replied. "It's just... I haven't worked out exactly what to say to her."

"You're telling me this now?" Hartley questioned as they edged closer to the door. "You want to apologise; so, apologise. How hard could that be?"

Jennings sighed. "Look, it's more than that. I'm responsible for her being here... putting her through all this. How is an apology enough to clean my record?"

Hartley looked back at the door, which was coming closer. "Just say whatever comes to you. You'll think of something."

They were only a few metres away from the door. Hartley half-jokingly finished, "Don't make me miss out on my pie for nothing."

Jennings returned the wry expression thrown at him as they finally reached the spotless sheet of metal. Next to the door, on the wall, was a narrow slit from which red light glowed softly.

As Jennings breathed deeply, Hartley produced his pass - something resembling a credit card with a barcode printed on the face. Dexterous fingers then slotted the card into the small opening, and pulled it back out after the scanner had read the code. The red glow inside the slit immediately changed to green, and with a mechanical hiss, the door slid open.

Placing the pass back inside his pocket, Hartley turned to Jennings and motioned towards the open doorway with his head.

"After you."

Following a small pause, Jennings nodded. Taking one final deep breath, he lifted one foot and stepped into the quarantine chamber.

_________

Upon entering, Jennings turned his head to the left and took in the room. Not that there was much to take in. The chamber was much the same as any other room in the facility; white, polished, clean sterile, featureless... dull.

The swathe of pure white was broken by only four things - a security camera nestled in the top corner, two dishes, one with leaf cuttings, the other with water - and the very thing Jennings was looking for: a small, reptilian form, facing away from him, curled into a ball.

"There she is..." Jennings mouthed to himself.

For the next few moments, he simply stared at the quivering sauropod. The near-silence was only marred by the sound of soft sobbing. Jennings' heart sank as he realised that the little dinosaur was crying.

Eventually, he shifted his gaze to Hartley, unsure of what to do next. It seemed that the dinosaur had no idea that they had entered.

Hartley simply shrugged. He knew what to do just as well as Jennings did - not at all.

The hunter sighed again, seeing that there was only one thing that could be done. He turned back to the catch, and began walking slowly towards her.

It seemed to him like a long, endless journey - approaching the young Apatosaurus like he was in a car, travelling gradually towards a city on the distant horizon. Every one of those ten or so seconds seemed like an eternity and a half.

He noticed as he came closer that the reptile suddenly stopped crying, and visibly tensed. She had become aware of his presence.

Step by step he continued, until he came to a creeping stop next to her.

He just stood. Stared at her for a while. She couldn't see him; her neck was curled so that her face was turned away. Nonetheless, Jennings was able to look her over properly for the first time.

Her size was interesting. Though she was curled up, Jennings could get a good idea of her length and height. Five, maybe six feet high when standing on all fours; seven or eight feet nose-to-tail. He estimated that, when she was standing, Hartley would be looking at her jawbone.

Jennings took another step forward. Time to talk to a dinosaur.

Giving the floor a once-over, he tentatively sat down next to her - the latter with her face still turned away.

Jennings tried his best to speak from a tongue-tied mouth. He still hadn't worked out exactly what to say. What he eventually came up with was relatively anti-climactic.

"...Hi." It was quiet, nervous. He awaited any reply he could get, which he jumped at when it was recieved:

"...Hi." The dinosaur's voice was soft and lilted, reminding Jennings of a flower petal.

He drew in a breath and spoke again.

"So, er... what's your name? ...You have a name, right?"

Another pause.

"...My name's Ali. What's yours?"

"Uh - Thomas Jennings. But you can call me Tom... or just Jennings."

"Hmm..."

Jennings' mind was a mess. He simply wanted to say sorry, but how? Chances were, 'Ali' didn't even know what had happened to her. He was given a bit of leeway when she spoke again.

"Jennings... could you... tell me where I am?"

"Um..." Jennings glanced back at Hartley, giving the answer a bit of thought, before replying. "...Ali... you're in a place called Delta Point. It's a scientific research facility. Here, people do experiments... tests... to help us understand how the world works."

Ali seemed to mull over this response before speaking again.

"Well... Why am I here, then?"

There was another long pause as Jennings thought about how to answer this next question.

"People wanted to do... experiments... on you. They were going to kill you and cut you up... take a look at what was inside. But then we found out you could talk, and everything changed." Ali drew in a nervous breath when he mentioned killing, but regained her composure.

"You didn't know dinosaurs could talk?" the sauropod asked quietly.

"Well, no... you _are_ the first living evidence we've found of it."

Jennings saw the dinosaur raising her head from the floor - needless to say, she was still turned away.

"...What's that supposed to mean?" She nervously enquired.

The hunter bit his lip. This was going to be difficult.

"...Do dinosaurs use a system to count the passing of time? Like, the seasons, or something?"

"Well... we have Cold Times."

Jennings nodded - Winter. "Ah, good. Or maybe not... depending on how you look at it." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Ali... you're in the future, if that makes any sense. Think of the night before you were taken here, and a point in time that's sixty-six million Cold Times from that night. A temporary tunnel was made between those two points, and you were taken through it..." He paused. "And this... here and now... is the other side."

Yet another long silence.

"Which means..." Ali murmured, an edge of dread to her voice. "Which means, I'm the only dinosaur alive right now..."

"Yes," Jennings confirmed quietly.

"So I've been put to sleep," Ali half-whispered, "Taken here, to a place where everyone I've ever known is dead... I've almost been killed... and I'm stuck here."

Jennings stared at his feet. Nothing needed to be said.

Overbearing silence decided to pay another visit. The hunter was still trying to find a window in their awkward conversation to make an apology - so far, the opportunity was not presenting itself. What could he say to her? When could he say it? _How_ could he say it?

"But then..." Ali mused.

Jennings snapped back to attention.

"...If I was... _taken_ here, someone must have done it themselves," she said. "...Put me to sleep and brought me here."

Jennings closed his eyes. He knew what was coming.

"Jennings... who did it? Do you know?"

He breathed deeply, and tried to form words. "It..."

_Now or never._

"...It..."

_Just say it..._

He sighed and hung his head. Slowly but surely, he told her.

"...It was me. I did it. I put you to sleep... and... I brought you here."

* * *

_Rhys G. [SouthPawRacer]_

_August/September/October 2009_


End file.
